Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG) has launched EMBERPOINT, a joint venture with Lockheed Martin, Salesforce and Wells Fargo that will develop a unified command‑and‑control platform for wildfire prevention, detection and response across the United States.
The venture brings together Lockheed Martin’s advanced sensing and autonomous response technology, Salesforce’s data‑integration and AI capabilities, Wells Fargo’s capital commitment of more than $100 million, and PCG’s on‑the‑ground wildfire mitigation expertise. The partners will build the system over the next several months, with the first public demonstrations slated for later in 2026.
PCG’s move follows years of escalating wildfire losses that have exposed the company to significant liability and regulatory scrutiny. By partnering with technology leaders, PCG aims to extend its risk‑management strategy beyond undergrounding and vegetation clearing, positioning itself as a pioneer in wildfire safety and potentially opening new revenue streams from the platform’s services.
The venture’s full deployment requires regulatory approval, a process that PCG expects to complete within the next 12 to 18 months. The partnership agreement includes a phased rollout that will begin with pilot sites in high‑risk California and Nevada regions before expanding nationwide.
Management emphasized the strategic importance of the collaboration. PCG CEO Patti Poppe said the partnership “underscores our commitment to ending catastrophic wildfires” and will “help us turn the investments our customers have made in wildfire technology into tangible safety gains.” Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet highlighted the potential to “eliminate megafires in the United States” through improved prediction, detection and response.
The venture is expected to generate new revenue streams for all partners, with PCG potentially monetizing the platform’s data and analytics services to utilities and municipalities. The partnership also strengthens PCG’s regulatory case for continued grid modernization investments by demonstrating proactive, technology‑driven risk mitigation.
By integrating advanced sensing, AI analytics and autonomous response, EMBERPOINT could reduce ignition incidents and improve response times, thereby lowering liability exposure and regulatory penalties for PCG. The initiative also positions the company as a technology leader, which may enhance its competitive standing in a market increasingly focused on resilience and sustainability.
Overall, the launch of EMBERPOINT represents a significant strategic pivot for PCG and its partners, aligning technology innovation with wildfire risk management and opening new avenues for revenue and regulatory compliance.
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